Apparatus for treating petroleum.



M. J. TRUIVF'BLI..

yAPPARATUS FOR TREATING PETROLEUM.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. I7. |916.

Patented Mar. 26, 1918.

[om (fifi-f minori J. aannam, or :Los

MENTS, TO llt.:

ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR, BY IVIESNE ASSIGN- LEX BEFINING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

APPATUS FOR TREATIN G PETROLEUM.

' Specification of Letters Patent. Continuation in part 'of application Serial No. 586,382, tiled October 10, 1910. This application led February Patenten Mar. ee, raie.

17, 1916. Serial No. 78,988.

To all rwwm z't may concern;

Be it known that I, MILON J. TRUMBLE, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Apparatus for Treating Petroleum, of which the following is a specification.

This invention suited for use in a process for the treatment of hydrocarbon o' s or petroleuni to separate the lighter or more volatile constituents therefrom, the process being particularly intended for so treating the crude oil as to remove and save the gasoleiie and other Vlight volatile products.

`On October 10, 1910, I tiled an application for Letters Patent on aprocess for treating petroleum, Serial N o.` 586,382, of which this application isa continuation as to all matters in common.

perature thereof being oil ina thin AThe main object of the invention to provide an apparatus whereby the above described vaporization or separation may be' efected in the most rapid, economical and efficient manner. l

Another object of the invention'is to provide an apparatus of extremely limited size compared to the apparatus generally used for such purposes.

The process consists essentially in heating the oil in a closed receptacle to a temperature above the boiling point of the lighter constituents of the oil for the pressure at which they are to be vaporized, the

oil being maintained while it is being heated atr such pressure as to during the heating the heated oil to chamber where the the oil immediately state of prev'ent vaporization passr mto a vaporizing lighter constituents of expand and pass into vapor or gas by reason of the temhigher than the boiling point for the pressure in said vaporizing chamber, and withdrawing. said vaporized or gasified products from the vaporizing chamber. in

h The process further comprises the vaporizing operation exposure of the film or layer to the action of a relates to an apparatus` operation, then allowing heated surface, thereby expediting the Separation of the volatile constituents from the heavier constituents and withdrawing the vaporized constitutents as fast as they are released from such film or layer. 4

Other objects and advantages of the process will appear hereinafter.

he accompanying drawings illustrate an apparatus or vaporizer suitable for carrying out the invention, and referring thereto Figure l is a vertical section of a vaporizer showing the form thereof which ll consider best adapted for carrying out the process.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line ce2-m2 of Fig. `1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to Fig. 1, the apparatus comprises a furnace or heating chamber l provided with a lire box or combustion chamber 2 for generating heat therein and with a stack or chimney 3. In said heating chamber is rovided a heating coil 4, said coil being o suiiicient length and capacity to retaln the body of oil therein for a considerable time in heat absorbing relationA with the heating chamber. This coil 4 is supplied with oil at one end thereof by a supply pipe 5 having an inlet valve 6, saidsupply pipe communicating with regeneratin means for heating the oil as it is supplied to the coil by means of the out-going products of the process. At

`the end of the coil 4 which is farthest from the inlet pipe 5, a drainage pipe 8 is pro vided having a draw-ofi' cock 9', the coil l heat absorbed from- 4 and to control the supply of an operating of a rectangular i through the delivery stack. A valve 12 is provided in said pipe 10 t'o hold the oil under pressure in coil oil to the chamber 11, said valve having handle 13. From the lower end of the lower vaporizing chamber 11 extends a drainage pipe 15 for residual oil, said drainage pipe havin an outlet valve 16 which is adjuste in position to maintain a body of oil in the drainagev pipe 15 and in the lower part of 'the vaporizing chamber 11 as shown in Fig. 1, so as to form a liquid seal at the bottom of said chamber and prevent 'outflow of vapor therefrom, except through the vapor outlets and vapor line, as hereinafter set forth. For showing the level of the oil in the vaporizing chamber pet-cocks 17 may be provided on a vertical pipe 17 connected near its upper and lower ends by pipes 18 to the lower vaporizing chamber 11.

- The vaporizing chambers 11 each consist box or casing having inclined walls 46 on which the oil descends in a thin layer from a spreader plate 47 each of which preferably consists of an angle iron member extending across the chamber 11. r1`he vaporizing chambers 11 are connected-by pipes 48 and 49, and vapor outlets 50 are provided in the upper chamber 11, similar outlets 51 beingprovided for the lowest chamber 11, no vapor outlets being used in the middle chamber 11. The out-y lets 50 connect directly into a vapor line 20, and the outlets 51 may be connected directly into the line 20 through a valve 52, or this valve may be closed and the outlets 50 may be connected through a valve 54 with a primary distillate pipe 53. When the valve 54 is closed, which is the normal operating condition, the vapor passes the vapor line 20. The vapor line 20v leads through condensing means which also form part of the regenerative system for supplying heatto the lncoming oil, said line 2O extending the oil being supplied under pressure at one end of said tube by a pipe 29 into which the oil is pumped bya pump 30, the other end of said jacket tube 28 being connected by a ipe 31 to one end of a tube 32 sur rounding the residual outlet ipe 15, the farther end of said jacket tu e 32 being connected to the oil supply pipe 5 for the heating coil 4. Valves 34, 35 may be provided respectively in the vapor line and in line for the condensate.

The process is carried out as follows in the above described apparatus: The valve 12 is partially closed and oil is pumped in at the pressure required in the heating operation, say, three or more pounds per square inch accordin to the required temperature and is maintained through the regplation of .of the oil from one end of d valve 'the oil 'is maintained in a through a jacket tube 284 through the pipe naeaaee such valve 12. The oil in entering passes in through pipe 29, through jacket 28, pipe 31, jacket 32 and pipe 5 to heating coil 4, said heating coil being of sufficient length and area to enable the heating or furnace chamber 1 to supply the required amount of heat to said coil in the continuous passage 7o the coil to the y other to vaporize the product desired to be taken ed. r1`he said oil has a slow movement and a continual increase of temperature from the inlet to the delivery point. ln this heating of the oil a portion of the water is released or separated therefrom, if such is held in suspension in the oil, and tends to settle in the lower end of the coil, being drawn oil' when required through the 9. The heated oil 4.passes upwardly through pipe 10 and valve 12 and in passing into the vaporizing chambers 11 is subject to a sudden expansion by reason of the lower pressure in said chambers and in this eX- pansion the lighter constituents of the oil, namely, gasolene, kerosene, etc., are suddenly passed into the form of vapor gas.

A'lihe oil entering each ofthe vaporizing chambers 11 is spread in a thin film over 90 the plates 46 forming the heated walls' of the chambers 11, and the heat supplied through said walls maintains a temperature suh'icient to fcause such lighter products to be boiled or evaporated from the oil, and thin layer or film ou said walls, so as to present maxiniuni surface for evaporation and facilitate the immediate release of the vapor or gas from the liquic. As fast as such vapor or gas is forined it'is withdrawn or passes out through the outlet pipes 50 and 51 and vapor line 20. The process may be carried out in any-apparatus adapted to provide for heating of the oil under pressure and then subjecting it to sudden expansion-on lowering the pressure, so as 'to cause sudden release of the lighter products therefrom in the state as or vapor. nder ordinary conditions all the vapor is mixed together and carried away through the pipe 20, being suitably condensed to form a commercial product. Under such conditions the valve 54 is closed, and the valve 52 isopen.' 1f desired the valve 54 may be opened andthe valve 52 closed, the

lighterdistillates taken off through theout- 'lets `50 being delivered to the primary distillate pipe 53,-the heavier distillates taken od' through the outlets 51 being taken od 20 as already explained.

1 claim as my invention 1. ln an oil'retining syst-em, a vaporizing ehamberhaving its lower outer wall inclined; a feed pipe delivering oil to said 125 chamber at or near the upper end of said inclined wall; means for spreadin the oil claim 1 in which the means for spreading so delivered over said incllned wa l; a vaf. the oil comprises a spreader plate extending `por outlet pipe communicating with the inacross the chamber. n 10 teror of sald chamber; and a residuum pipe In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set 5 connecting with the lower part of said my hand at Los Angeles, California, this chamber. v 10th day of February, 1916.

2. A vaporizing chamber as set forth in MILON J. TRUMBLE. 

